Cgi How-To: The Definitive Cgi Scripting Problem-Solver [Paperback]

Stephen Asbury (Author), Jason Mathews (Author), Selena Sol (Author), Kevin Greer (Author)

Book Description

Series: How-to | Publication Date: September 1996

The Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is the connection betweeen the Web browser and custom program, allowing a dynamic interaction between the user and the Web page. This guide is written in a question-and-answer format for people developing both small and large Web-based applications.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Provides detailed instructions for building Web-based applications using CGI scripts, including pitfalls, enhancements, and alternate solutions. - Over 100 practical step-by-step solutions to CGI programming problems

- Organized by function for easy look-up

- Includes reusable code for CGI Scripting projects

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Waite Group Pr (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157169028X
• ISBN-13: 978-1571690289
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,885,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars VERY dated but still of considerable value, January 13, 2000

By 

Geoffrey Brown (Taconic, CT United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cgi How-To: The Definitive Cgi Scripting Problem-Solver (Paperback)

This is a 1996 book still being sold in year 2000 and that says something about it. It is a very useful book in many respects. A whole lot of the stuff in it is as useful today as it was in 1996. However, just for perspective, Win 3.1 was still the dominant Windows platform back then, and there was no Microsoft browser (or server, for that matter) in general use -- Netscape was it. In fact, the index shows Win 3.1 and NT 4.0 (no Win 95) and there's not even an index entry for Microsoft! (There are for Netscape, Mac, etc.) The short list of potential programming errors is still useful, and the security risks listed are things you always have to have in the back of your mind. I think the book would be most useful if you were going use it in a site where not a whole lot had changed recently or where there was not much money for newer technology. They do provide scripts for such things as a shopping cart and it makes you wonder how many e-commerce sites on the web right now basically just loaded up the scripts from the CD-ROM as a starting point. I found the book useful, but as a consultant my needs are not those of someone who writes Perl for a living.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent applications examples, June 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cgi How-To: The Definitive Cgi Scripting Problem-Solver (Paperback)

This book starts off with a bang, showing the reader how to transfer client data and decode it at the server. CGI cripts are built up in a step-by-step method easily comprehended by a beginning Perl user (me) and in most cases are translated into the equivalent convolutions of C; the comparison of the two sets of code make the utility of Perl dramatically apparent. "CGI How-To" is an effective practical companion to Larry Wall's "Perl Programming", which is complete but often theoretical in nature.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars CGI How-To, November 7, 2010

By 

bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cgi How-To: The Definitive Cgi Scripting Problem-Solver (Paperback)

CGI is the heart of what makes web-sites and can be useful for other projects. You do not need a book for simple application as you can just cut and paste with a fairly educated guess. But the day will come when you will want to know what you are doing and why. More still, when you are confronted with a unique application that cannot just be cut and pasted.

This book is very comprehensive and come with a CD if you remember what a CD is. There is example in Perl and c. is aware if you go down the Perl rout that that animal is proprietary when it comes to outside help. Of course the book itself has practical examples and monochrome screen shots.